Hood beats Noppert in epic as more seeds tumble

As three more seeds, including world number 86 Justin Hood, exited the PDC World Championship on the final day before the Christmas break, beating sixth-seeded Danny Noppert in a classic Alexandra Palace match.

After failing a dart at the bull to win in straight sets, Hood won a sudden-death leg of a high-quality match to advance to the last 32.

Noppert fought back to end the match and, thanks to some stellar ton-plus finishes, came up with a winning chance in the dramatic final set.

However, the 32-year-old debutant held on to a nerve in the final set and won with a score of 78, tying him with fellow English left-hander Ryan Meikle for third-place.

Both players made more than 102 doubles attempts on average and more than 40% of them.

“Danny is a class player, and I knew it would be a good game,” Hood said to Sky Sports.

“I just throw the darts, and if it’s good enough, it’s good enough.” I don’t worry about the pressure. It was tonight. “

Noppert is the highest-ranked player to fall out of the 32 seeds that were eliminated in the tournament’s opening two rounds.

Merk will face 11th seed Josh Rock, the man who helped Gurney win the World Cup in June, in a third-round match against three-time champion Michael van Gerwen, who defeated William O’Connor 3-1.

Rock recorded a dominant victory over Australia’s Joe Comito, while Scotland’s two-time champion Gary Anderson put on a vintage display in a 3-1 victory over England’s Connor Scutt, who had a 105.41 average on the day after his 55th birthday.

Round three of the tournament is scheduled to begin on Saturday.

Wright won just two legs and averaged under 80 against Merk, who won at Alexandra Palace in 2020 and 2022.

Merk, who finished with a score of 92.17 and made nine of his 19 double attempts, fully exploited the 55-year-old Scot, who only made two of his 15 double attempts.

After defeating Wright, the 33-year-old said, “I’m stunned, I can’t believe it. ” I just triumphed over a legend, which is so exciting.

“I can be dangerous for anyone if I play this way,” he said.

Rydz, the 22nd seed, lost to Gurney in a close match that ended in a tie-break in the fifth set by hitting two 167 checkouts.